The Library Can Help You with Your Virtual Learning Needs
Go Ahead and Bookmark This Page, It Has So Many Links You Will Need This Year!
We are approaching that time of year again where we would usually be spending hours picking through school supplies just to have to go to another store to find everything on the teachers’ lists. Instead many of us are facing a reality of having to balance our daily lives and our children’s education. With last spring looking like a 7 week trial run compared to the entire school year some of us are now presented with, we at the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library (HMCPL) are here to help. We have many resources and ideas to offer you to help with your child’s educational needs. All you will need is your library card and password. If you don’t have one you can fill out the form online and a library staff will help with setting up your account.
From Computer Access to Free Tutoring, We Have So Much to Offer
• Computer Lab There are multiple computers for public use at each HMCPL branch location.
• Wi-fi Hotspot rental HMCPL has partnered with T-Mobile to offer our patrons a small, hand-held device that will create a personal Wi-Fi bubble with unlimited Internet access. For a fee, patrons can check-out a device for up to 4 weeks.
• Alabama Virtual Library The Alabama Virtual Library provides all students, teachers, and citizens of the State of Alabama with online access to essential library and information resources.
• Homework Alabama Homework Alabama offers free homework help from subject specialists. Students can also visit Homework Alabama for free tutoring in Math, Science, Social Studies, English. Specialists will help students in Grades K3-12, College Intro, and Adult Learners.
• Learning Express Learning Express offers practice tests, exercises, skill-building courses, and information you need to achieve the results you want—at school, at work, or in life.
• Learning with STEAM You have access to e-books, e- audiobooks, movies, and more with STEAM learning through Hoopla.com All you need is your library card number and password to set up your free account today! Your Roku and Smart TV will let you add a Hoopla channel so you can watch any movies or TV shows right in you living room. Each patron may checkout five checkouts per month from Hoopla and credits are refreshed at the first of each month. Most Movies and TV episodes are available for 72 hours (3 days) from the time you borrow the title. Some publishers limit the borrow time to 48 hours (2 days). Most Music albums are available for 7 days from the time you borrow the title. Most Audiobooks, Comics, and eBooks are available for 21 days from the time you borrow the title.
• Lib Guide The librarians in our Youth Services department have already put together a site full of information and books that can help you as an educator.
• AR Book Finder Check the AR reading level of a book or search for books within your child’s range
Books For The Parents
For more books, e-books, movies, and digital streaming movies on supplementing your child’s education from home, please check out the links below.
Lib Guides Explore our wealth of guides below to find new ways to browse our online catalog, research topics, choose your next favorite book and more!
Book Lists Look through our list of books about virtual learning and home schooling
Hoopla Homeschool Search Hoopla to find e-books, e-audiobooks, music, movies, and more.
Overdrive Overdrive is where one can download e-books, audiobooks, and videos. Patrons are allowed 5 checkouts at a time with a loan period of up to two weeks.
Freading Freading offers a vast selection of titles, from fiction to how-to to kids’ books. Each patron may checkout two items per week and unused credits rollover each week a four weeks period.
Bookflix Fiction and nonfiction books are paired up to assist children who are just beginning to read
Make it Fun without Adding More Stress
As someone who used to be a teacher I can tell you that when the kids are bored, learning suffers. It is great that the kids get to work from home and set their own pace, but after a few weeks it will still become repetitive and boring. Consider adding in something fun each day. Once your child reads a book, see if we have the film. From home you can stream so many movies from Overdrive and Hoopla or put a film on hold and utilize our curbside service to get your library needs met faster and easier. We carry many options. You can learn a language, learn how to play a sport, history lessons, topics from Great Courses in the library & Hoopla, and STEAM labs videos you can view from home that our librarians have put together for you. You could also take a virtual field trip to museums around the world or get out of the house and visit some of our local attraction. Find out where the kids would have gone on their field trip that year and take them yourself! We also offer fun and safe website your kids visit for educational games and activities.
For more information on local events and attractions and for virtual tours, check out these websites.
From the Library
For Craft kits check out our Grab Bags
Free Virtual Tours
American Jazz Museum, Kansas City, MO
National Women's History Museum, Alexandria, VA
The Henry Ford, Dearborn, Michigan
Greenfield Village, Dearborn, Michigan
National Museum of Anthropology, Mexico City